The Joy Trip Project is excited to announce the 4th recipient of the Matthew Henson Scholarship. In partnership with Polar Explorers, an Illinois-based guiding company, we are proud to award  Zorbari Nwidor free tuition to attend a five-day winter travel training course in the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area of Northern Minnesota.

Zorbari will be joined by last year’s scholarship awardee Carla-Paz Moran Sanchez, to help guide and mentor her journey through the world of cold weather overland expeditions. She is now part of a growing community of aspiring adventurers who will lead the outdoor recreation industry and the cause of environmental protection well into the future.

The Henson Legacy

We honor the legacy of the innovator of Arctic exploration and winter adventure, Matthew Alexander Henson. This program aims to inspire people from under represented communities to embrace cold weather activities.  Through the training we provide, our participants will build the necessary skill set to thrive (not just survive) during extreme low-temperature expeditions. In particular, the program focuses on emerging outdoor guides or people with current or future positions of leadership in the outdoor industry.

Zorbari Nwidor is the Executive Director of Chicago Adventure Therapy (CAT). She brings over 15 years of dedicated service to her organization and the outdoor adventure community. Zorbari’s journey with CAT began in 2009 as a youth participant, and she has since risen to lead this institution, shaping transformative outdoor experiences for young people across Chicago.

A proud graduate of Rickover Naval Academy High School and Howard University, Zorbari earned degrees in Biology and Chemistry in 2017. She holds multiple certifications from British Canoeing, including Stand-Up Paddleboard Coach, Level Three Kayak Coach, and the 3 Star Sea Kayak Award. Additionally, she is a Wilderness First Responder (WFR) and a Certified Climbing Wall Instructor (CWI). These professional skills allow her to provide safety and expertise in a wide range of outdoor activities.

Zorbari is deeply passionate about promoting equity, justice, and access for marginalized communities. She has dedicated her career to creating a world where every young person, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic status, can experience the transformative power of adventure and outdoor sports. Her leadership at CAT exemplifies her belief in the power of outdoor experiences to inspire personal growth and social change.

“There’s no limit to the impact we can have by changing the landscape of the outdoor industry and inspiring a new generation of backcountry users to be as passionate as we all are about diversity and inclusion in the outdoors (and especially in cold weather recreation),” says Polar Explorers director Annie Aggens.

At the turn of the 20th century, Matthew Henson (1866-1955), a leading member of the 1909 Robert Peary Expedition, sponsored by the National Geographic Society, was the first person in history to stand on the North Pole. This remarkable accomplishment was ignored and even denied by many who refused to give credit to a Black American. To encourage a new generation of explorers to seek out and achieve uncommon endeavors of human fortitude and resilience, the Matthew Henson Scholarship provides the training and resources necessary for early-career guides and trip leaders.

Program Making Progress

The success of the Henson Scholarship program is demonstrated in the career advancement of our recipients. Among our first awardees, Emily Ford of Duluth, Minnesota is now working in Willow, Alaska as professional sled dog handler. Though she still spends the warm weather months tending the gardens of the historic Glensheen Masion, Emily trains dogs through the winter at the Shameless Huskies Kennel. In 2025, she qualified to run in the annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race, a grueling 1,000-mile adventure from Anchorage to Knome. In the spirit of Matthew Henson himself, Emily is breaking new ground as a world-class athlete.

The Matthew Henson Scholarship is part of the continuing mission of Polar Explorers and the Joy Trip Project to provide both training assistance and role models for aspiring outdoor professionals. As a two-year commitment, Zorbari will help mentor the next recipient of this award in 2026. In cooperation with several outdoor industry companies, we hope to create pathways toward worthwhile employment and career advancement opportunities.

The Joy Trip Project  is grateful to the many organizations who provide us with gear, footwear, and technical clothing items to support the safety and comfort of our participants.

Baffin, Seirus Innovations, Sol Alpine, The North Face, Osprey, Yeti  and Thermarest

If you or an institution of your acquaintance would like to support our efforts with a contribution of any amount, please click the link below or write to us at info@joytripproject.com

This announcement was edited by Natasha Buffo